Channeling-machine.



No. 707,576. Patented Aug. 26','-l902.

A, B. FOWLER.

CHANNELING MACHINE.-

(Application filed June 19, 1897.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No. 707,576. Patented Aug. 26,1902.

A. B. FOWLER.

CHANNELING MACHINE.

(Application filed June,19, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheqt 2 Z w Q N PE,

IIVII llnirrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED B. FOWVLER, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY,

CHANNELlNG-MACl-IINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,576, dated August 26, 1902. Application filed June 19, 1897. Serial No. 641,405. (No mode ll.)

To all whom, it nuty concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED B. FOWLER, of Central Falls, in the county of Providenceand State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Channeling- Machines for Boots and Shoes, of which the following,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in machines for channeling the soles of boots and shoes commonly termed channeling-machines. As I am advised of the art,the term channeling-machines includes machines used for channeling either insoles or outsoles, both operations comprising the making of an incision in the sole and the turning up of a portion thereof to form a lip or channel-flap. In the case of outsoles the turned-up portion of the sole is turned down again over the channel after the seam has been sewed therein to cover and protect the seam and is commonly called the channelflap, while in insoles the turned-up portion is frequently used to receive the seam either with or without suitable reinforcement and is commonly called a lip. The term lip is, however, sometimes applied to the turnedup portion of the sole in the case of outsoles as well as insoles and is so used in this specification.

Prior to my present invention it has been the practice to form the channel in boot or shoe soles by machines embodying astational'y knife or a knife which vibrates in the line of feed. The objection to machines of the stationary-knife type has been found to be that in the process of cutting the channel the lip becomes wrinkled or puckered, which is very objectionable either in case of an insole or an outsole, and, further, great power is required to operate the machine. These difficulties were to some extent obviated by the provision in prior machines of-a knife vibrating in the line of feed; but such prior machines have failed to fully overcome these difficulties, because the cutting action of the vibrating knife is directly opposed to the feedthat is to say, the impact of the edge of the knife when brought by the action of its vibrating mechanism against the work tends to force the work back in a direction opposite to that in which it is being carried by the feed.

The object of the present invention is to obviate the objections to the stationary-knife machines more fully than has been heretofore done by machines of the vibrating-knife type; and to this end it consists in providing in a channeling-machine a vibrating channeling-knife which is arranged to out trans versely to the line of feed and obliquely to the'surface of the work, and therebyform the usual continuous channel and lip. The extent of the vibrating movements imparted to the knife is preferably not sufficient to withdraw the knife completely from the work, and in order to enable the knife to cut a channel when so operated Iprovide my vibrating channeling-knife with a cutting edge, a portion of which is at an angle to the line of feed.

In channeling-machines of the prior art it has been proposed-to use both a continuous and an intermittent feed. To secure the most perfect operation of my improved machine to cut a smooth channel and leave acontinuous even.lip, I prefer to use a continuous feed and .to provide my vibrating channeling-knife with acutting edge, against which the work is forced by the action of the feed. Since the knife is arranged to cut transversely to the line of feed, the combined feeding movement of the work and the movement of the knife gives a shear out, which insures a smooth and unwrinkled lip and easy operation of the machine, the cutting action of the knife having practically no tendency to prevent the feed of the work. To still further decrease the tendency of the cutting action of the knife to prevent the feeding of the work, a portion of the cutting edge of the knife is preferably arranged obliquely to the surface of the work, so that the knife frees the Work during its backward movement and peforms the principal part, if not the whole, of the cutting operation during its forward stroke. On account of the easy operation of the machine feeding mechanism which lightly engages the work may be employed and certainty of operation without injury or defacement of the work secured.

While I consider the construction and arrangement of parts above referred to as securing the most perfect results and of value for the reasons above stated, it is to be understood that my invention considered in its broadest sense is not limited thereto, but that these constructions and arrangements of parts embody my invention in its preferred form only.

In the preparation of both outsoles and insoles to adapt them to receive the stitches of the seam which unite them to the other portions of the shoe the lip formed by the channel-knife must be turned up in order to open the channel for the reception of the stitches. In order to turn up the lip, a feature of my invention consists in providing a channelingmachine comprising a vibrating channelingknife, with a vibrating lip-turning device following the knife and acting to turn over the lip formed thereby. Preferably this lip-turning device is provided with a working face shaped to turn up the lip when forced against it by the feed, whereby the lip-turning device is rendered capable of operation in a machine provided with means for continuously feeding the work, and a vibrating lip-turning device of this construction I consider a feature of my invention inand of itself when used in a machine provided with means for continuously feeding the work.

-Other features of my invention consist in certain devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be apparent from the description hereinafter contained.

Having thus indicated the nature and scope of my invention,I will now proceed to describe the specific embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 represents a side elevation, partly in section, of a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal section of the machine on the line A B in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents an enlarged detail side elevation of the knife or cutter, a portion of the knife-carrier, and the turning device to open the channel, also a sectional view ofa portion of a boot or shoe, showing the action of the knife when channeling the same. Fig. 4 represents a bottom view of the parts shown in Fig. 3 with the exception of the boot or shoe shown in said figure. Fig. 5 respresents a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a vertical section on the line C D'shown in Fig. 3.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts wherever they occur on the difierent parts of the drawings.

The machine is provided with a suitable frame 2 for the support of the various parts thereof. Within hearings in the frame is mounted the driving-shaft 3, (shown in dotted linesin Fig. 1,) which shaft is rotated in its bearings by means of the pulley 4, mounted thereon. Upon the shaft 3 is firmly mounted the worm 5, which Worm meshes into and rotates the worm-wheel 6, splined upon the horizontal portion 7 of the feed-shaft, which portion of the feed-shaft is mounted in bearings on the frame 2 and is free to. move longitudinally within said bearings.

The forward end of the portion 7 of the feed-shaft is mounted within a bearing or bearings in a block 8 and is kept from longitudinal movement within said bearings by means of a shoulder and a collar 9 on said shaft. The block 8 is mounted in guides 10 10 on the frame 2 in such a manner that it can be moved forward or backward, as desired, but is normally held backward with a yielding pressure by means of the spring 11, which surrounds a rod 12, attached to said block, or it may be held backward by any other suitable and well-known device. This springis inserted between an car on the frame and a collar 13 on the rod, which collar is adjustable upon the rod to vary the influence of the spring upon the block. Within bearings on the block 8 is mounted the inclined por tion 14 of thefeed-shaft, which portion is connected to the portion 7 by means of the universal joint 15 or equivalent device, whereby the rotations of the portion 7 will be conveyed to the portion 14 of the feed-shaft, and as the worm 5 causes a rotation of the portion 7 it will also cause a rotation of the portion 14.

Upon shaft 14 is firmly but removably secured the beveled feed-Wheel 16, the periphery of which is so shaped that its serrated surface will be pressed against the projecting edge of the welt 17 of the boot or shoe with a yielding pressure by the action of the spring 11. The feed-Wheel is arranged to enter the groove which surrounds the boot or shoe between the welt and the upper 18 and to press against the welt.

The machine is provided with a supporting and antifriction roll 19, which rests against the under surface of the outer sole 20 of the shoe. The roll 19 is loosely mounted upon a block 21, which is movable with said roll up and down within guides in the frame 2 and is preferably normally held at its lower position by means of a spring 22 or an equivalent device, arranged substantially as shown in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that as the shaft 14, with its attached feedwheel 16, is mounted upon and movable with the block 8 and as said block is held backward with a yielding pressure by the spring 11 the projecting edge of the sole of the boot or shoe will be clamped with a yielding pressure between the roll 19 and the serrated edge of the feed-wheel 16 by means of the spring 11, and therefore any rotation of the feed-wheel will cause a forward movement or a feeding of the boot or shoe. It will also be seen that the longitudinal 'movement of the feed-shaft 7 and block 8 enables the distance between the feed-wheel 16 ibO and the roll 19 to be adjusted so as to allow for variations in the thicknesses of the soles and welts of different boots and shoes.

A bell-crank or other suitably-shaped lever 23 is pivotally attached at 24 to the frame 2, having one end thereof attached to a suitable treadle (not shown in the drawings) by means of the rod 25 and having the opposite endin engagement with the pin or roll 26 on the collar 13in such a manner that the block 8 can be moved in its guides 10 against the influence of the spring 11 by the operation of the treadle and lever 23 in order to withdraw the feed-wheel 16 from contact with the boot or shoe, so as to allow the removal of the stock from the machine when finished and the placing of other stock in position to be oper: ated upon.

A bell-crank lever 27 is fulcrumed at 28 to the block 21 and is vibrated upon said fulcrurn by means ofa connecting-rod 29, pivotably but adjustably attached to said lever by means of the bolt 30, and said rod is also pivotally attached to a crank-pin 31 or to an eccentric on the driving-shaft. On the free end of the lever 27 is mounted the channeling knife or cutter 32, provided with the cutting edge 33. This knife is secured to said lever in any suitable manner, as by means of the cap-screw 34, which passes through a slot 35 in the knife, as shown, or it may be secured in any otherand well-known equivalent manner, if desired.

As a result of the construction above described it will be seen that the channelingknife is arranged to cut transversely to the line of feed and obliquely to the surface of the work and will act to form a continuous channel and lip as the work is fed past the knife by the feeding mechanism. As shown in the drawings, the cutting edge 33 of the knife is curved so that a portion thereof extends at an angle to the line of feed and is so arranged that the work is forced against such portion by the action of the feeding mechanism. By arranging and shaping the cutting edge 33 as shown a portion of the edge is oblique to the line of feed, whereby the knife frees the work during its backward stroke and performs the principal part, if not the whole, of its cutting action during its forward stroke. The result of the combined feeding movement of the Work and the movement of the knife gives a shear out, which insures a smooth and unwrinkled lip and offers practically no obstruction to the feeding of the work. By arranging a portion of the cutting edge 33 at an angle to the line of feed the work is freed during the backward stroke of the knife, which still further prevents the knife from oifering an obstruction to the feeding of the work.

The vibrating movements imparted to the knife 32 are preferably not sufficient in extent to withdraw the knife completely from the work. In order to vary the amount of vibrations of the knife 32, I provide the machine with any suitable adjustment, and on.

into proper position to receive the stitches,

and in order to automatically accomplish this result at the same time that the channel is being formed I provide the machine with an automatic lip-turning device, which is constructed substantially as follows: To the lever 27 is secured the piece 38, havinga surface 39, made similar to that of the moldboard of a plow, which surface commences near the cutting edge of the knife and extends backward and downward substantially as shown and in such a manner that as soon as the lip 37 is cut from thesole its free end will commence to gradually move backward and downward as it is fed against the surface 39 until it has reached the desired position or has been turned backward against the surface of the sole. The vibrations of the lever 27 are such that it causes the surface 39 to lightly pound the lip 37 into the desired position. The roll 40 is loosely mounted upon the shaft 14, and the edge of the sole of the boot or shoe when fed is held against the periphery of said roll, so as to cause said roll to act as a gage to determine the position of the channel on the sole from the contour of the sole and not from that of the inseam, which would be the case if the roll 40 were dispensed with.

As before stated, the block 21 is movable vertically within guides in the frame 2 and is normally kept in its lowestposition by means of the spring 22. A lever 41 is fulcrumed at 42 to the frame 2 and has one end connected to a suitable treadle by means of the rod 43 and has its opposite end connected to the block 21 by means of the pin or link 44 or in any other equivalent manner.- It will thus be seen that the block 21', with the attached cutter 32, may be raised against the influence of the spring 22 by the operation of the lever 41, whereby the position of the fulcrum of the channeling-knife lever 27 and the path of movement of the knife maybe changed in order to vary the distance of the channel made by said cutter from the edge of the sole. Theamount that theblock can be raised or lowered, and consequently the two extreme positions which the roll 19 canioccupy upon the sole of the boot or shoe in relation to the feed-wheel 16 and the roll 40, is

governed and adjusted by means of the lever 41. On the drawings the block 21 hasbeen shown as being raised to its upper position against the influence of the spring 22 by the operation of lever 41. The machine is provided with suitable adjustable stops 45 45 to come into contact with the block 21 or a projection 46 on said block in order to limit the up-anddown movements of said block.

- As the roll 19 is made adjustable'up and down in relation to the feed-wheel 16 and as the feed-wheel is pressed against the welt of the shoe by the action of the spring 11, there would be a tendency of the feed-wheel to cause the shoe to tip toward the cutter when the roll 19 is in its lower positions, and in order to obviate this difficulty I prefer to provide the machine with the rest or presserfoot 47, which is attached to the block 21 and has its upper end resting against the outer sole 20 of the boot or shoe, so as to support the shoe. This rest is preferably forked to receive the cutter when vibrated.

By the use of the inclined portion 14 of the feed-shaft mounted upon the sliding-block 8 and having the feed-wheel mounted on said shaft and provided with a working surface inclined to its axis of rotation I am able to feed the boot or shoe by the periphery of the feed-wheel and by working upon the upper surface of the welt to have said wheel enter the groove on the boot or shoe made at the junction of the upper and welt and to keep the feed-wheel as much as possible from preventing the operator from inspecting the work during the operation of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. A channeling-machine, having, incombination, a vibrating channeling-knife arranged to out transversely to the line of feed and having a portion of its cutting edge oblique to the line of the feed, and means for actuating said knife, substantially as described.

2. A channeling-machine, having, in cornbination, a vibrating channeling knife arranged to cut transversely to the line of feed and having a portion of its cutting edge at an angle to the line of feed against which the work is forced by the action of the feed, means for actuating the knife and suitable feeding mechanism, substantially as described.

3. A channeling-machine, having, incombination, mechanism for continuously feeding the work, a vibrating channeling-knife arranged to cut transversely to the line of feed and having a cutting edge against which the work is forced by the action of the feed, and means for actuating the knife, substantially as described.

4. A channeling-machine, having, in combination, a vibrating channeling -knife arranged to cut transversely to the line of feed and obliquely to the surface of the work to form a continuous channel and lip, means for actuating the knife, and means for feeding the work, substantially as described.

5. A channeling-machine, having, in combination, a vibrating channeling-knife arranged to cut transversely to the line of feed and a lip-turning device in close proximity to and movable with said vibrating channeling-knife, substantially as described.

6. A channeling-machine, having, in combination, a vibrating channeling-knife, a vibrating lip-tu rning device following said knife to turn over the lip formed thereby, and means for actuating the knife and lip-turning device, substantially as described.

7. A channeling-machine, having, in combination, means for continuously feeding the work, a vibrating lip-turning device provided with a working face shaped to turn up the lip when forced against it by the feed, and means for actuating the lip-turning device, substantially as described.

8. A channeling-machine, having, in combination, a beveled feed-wheel arranged to enter the crease between the upper and welt, and an edge-gage consistingof a wheel mounted concentrically with the feed-wheel, substantially as described.

9. A channeling-machine, having, in combination, an oscillating channeling-knife, a channel-knife lever, and means for moving the fulcrum of the channel-knife lever during the operation of the machine to vary the position of the channel, substantially as described. v

10. Aohanneling-machine, having, in combination, a vibrating channeling-knife arranged to cut transversely to the line of feed, and means for changing the path of movement of the knife during the operation of the machine, substantially as described.

11. A channeling-machine, having, in combination, a channeling-knife and feed mechanism comprising a shaft arranged to slide and rotate, a beveled feed-wheel engaging the crease between the upper and welt rotated by said shaft, means to rotate said shaft, and a spring acting to impart a sliding movement to said shaft and hold the feed-wheel in contact with the welt, substantially as described.

12. A channeling-machine, having, in combination, a vibrating channeling-knife, a vibrating lip-turning device, and means for actuating the knife and lip-turning device, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 14th day of May, A. D. 1897.

ALFRED B. FOWLER. 

